by Kaitlynn Johnson
Christian Horn, a May 2021 Nebraska graduate, has been able to utilize the skills he developed while at the CoJMC in his new job as the sports reporter for the York News-Times. In this position he covers sports for 10 area high schools and takes his own photos for publication. While studying both journalism and sports media & communication at the CoJMC he says that the best part of being a Husker was the relationships he was able to form with the staff and students.
Two prominent individuals who helped make Horn's experience at CoJMC great were professor of practice in journalism Matt Waite and career development specialist Kris Scanlon. Horn took Waite’s sports data class and developed new skills such as coding and data visualization for sports. This, coupled with writing for the Daily Nebraskan, helped Horn realize his career aspirations.
When it came time for the post-graduation job search, Scanlon played an important role in helping Horn's preparation.
“She helped me finetune my resume and cover letters, gave me interview tips and offered suggestions for places to look for a job post-graduation,” Horn said.
His cover letter was an important ingredient for his success, and stood out during his interview.
As he currently adjusts from being a full-time student to working a full-time job, Horn's advice to CoJMC students is to aim for versatility.
“The more you know how to do - and do well - the more indispensable you make yourself for your employers because you know how to do so many tasks,” Horn said.
He also encourages students starting out at CoJMC to go outside of their comfort zone and try new things. Horn applied his own advice when he began learning sports photography.
“I knew that if I learned the basics, I would have more freedom to experiment with different settings or different angles," Horn said, "By going outside my comfort zone there's a better chance I'll get spectacular photos, as oppposed to playing it safe and getting decent and usable photos,” Horn said.
Horn is enjoying his first job post graduation where he covers high school sports for 10 area school by writing recaps for the sporting events and taking photos of the athletes and atmosphere.
